Mathematical Treasures - Anonymous German Arithmetic

An anonymous German manuscript from around 1600 bears no title but can be considered a “Treatise on Arithmetic” (Plimpton MS 212).  The text just begins with no identifications given:

The reading and writing of decimal numbers up to our billion is discussed on the left, while an addition example is demonstrated on the right.      

The relationships between arithmetic, geometry, harmonics [music], and astronomy are noted and discussed.

Properties of numbers are explained via diagrams.

Finally, near the end of the manuscript, a table reviewing the forms of the numbers is provided for reference and perhaps practice.

The images above have been obtained through the kind cooperation of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of the Columbia University Libraries. These and more images may be accessed via Digital Scriptorium, a digital collection of medieval and early Renaissance manuscripts made available by a consortium of cooperating university libraries headed by the University of California, Berkeley. 

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